Frequently asked questions about foot and ankle nerve care

Call 908-215-5953, or book online through Zocdoc. Our office team schedules all appointments and can answer questions about insurance and referrals. Please don’t include medical details when booking online — we’ll discuss them privately at your visit.

• Appointment options

It depends on your insurance plan. Some plans require a referral from your primary care physician before a specialist visit; others don’t. Your insurance carrier can tell you what your plan requires, and our office can help when you call.

Ozturk Foot & Ankle participates with many major insurance plans. Coverage varies by plan and service. Please contact our office or your insurance carrier to confirm benefits before your visit.

Call 908-215-5953 or fax 908-446-2575. Our referral page has a downloadable referral sheet and a list of the records and images that help us most. Please don’t send protected health information by regular email.

• Information for referring physicians

Yes. Dr. Ozturk speaks English and Turkish. Let our office know your language preference when you schedule.

People whose foot or ankle problem hasn’t improved with non-surgical care, such as a painful bunion or bent toe, heel pain that has lasted many months, a flattening arch, an ankle that keeps giving way, a painful arthritic joint, or a tendon problem. People with a fracture or another injury, or with a foot wound that isn’t healing, should be seen promptly.

A consultation is also appropriate if you want to know whether surgery is really necessary, or if you want a second opinion on a recommendation you’ve already been given.

We’ll talk through your symptoms and history, examine your feet, ankles and legs — including alignment, motion, strength, skin, circulation and sensation, and the way you walk — and look at your footwear. We’ll usually review or take X-rays taken while you stand. Many people leave with a working diagnosis and a plan; others need further testing first.

• What to expect

Often, but not always. Weight-bearing X-rays are the usual first test, and X-ray and ultrasound are available on site at our practice, so they can often be done at your visit. CT or MRI are recommended only when they will help answer a specific question or change the plan; we arrange them with an imaging center and explain why. If you have recent images, bring the reports and, if you can, the images themselves.

• Foot and ankle imaging

Not necessarily. For many problems — such as bunions, bent toes, heel pain, flatfoot, ankle sprains and arthritis — non-surgical care comes first, and surgery is discussed when a well-tried course of it hasn’t helped enough. Some injuries and conditions, such as unstable fractures, midfoot injuries, deep infections and some tendon ruptures, may need surgery promptly. We’ll explain which situation applies to you, and what happens if you wait.

• How treatment is approached

Yes. If you’ve been advised to have surgery, or you still have symptoms after a previous operation, we can review your history, records and images, examine you, and discuss your options. Bringing prior notes, imaging reports and operative reports helps.

• Second opinions before surgery

Some foot and ankle operations can be done through very small incisions. Whether that is suitable depends on your condition, the size of the problem and your goals. Studies so far show similar results to open surgery in many comparisons, with different trade-offs, rather than a clear advantage. We’ll tell you which approach we recommend for you and why.

• Minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery

Operations take place at a hospital or surgery center where Dr. Ozturk has privileges. Most people go home the same day. Your surgeon’s team will tell you where your operation will be, when to arrive and how to prepare.

• Preparing for surgery

It depends on the operation and your health. Many foot and ankle operations are done with a regional nerve block, often together with sedation, or with a general or spinal anesthetic. The anesthesia team will discuss the options and recommend the safest one for you.

It varies widely with the operation. As examples, stiffness and swelling after lesser-toe surgery last about four to six weeks; ankle fractures take at least six weeks for early healing and 10 to 12 weeks to heal fully; flatfoot reconstruction typically takes six months or more. Your surgeon will give you a schedule for your operation, including when you can put weight on the foot.

• Recovery after surgery

It depends on the operation, which foot was treated, the device you’re using (a boot or a cast), whether you’re taking opioid pain medicine, and your job. You shouldn’t drive while taking opioid medicine or until you can brake firmly and quickly. Tell us about your work before surgery so we can plan a schedule, work notes and any modified duties.

Yes. Smoking raises the risk of wound infection and of bones failing to heal, and people with diabetes — especially those with numb feet — have a higher risk of infection after surgery. We’ll talk with you about lowering those risks before an elective operation, including help with stopping smoking and coordinating blood sugar control with your other doctors.

• Preparing for surgery

Yes, promptly. A new wound, blister, redness, warmth or swelling on a foot with diabetes should be seen the same day if possible, because numbness can hide serious problems. Go to an emergency department for spreading redness, fever, a black or very pale area, or if you feel very unwell.

• Diabetic foot ulcers and infections

Seek emergency care right away for a bone that looks out of place, an open wound over a fracture, a foot that is cold, pale, blue or numb, severe pain after an injury with inability to bear weight, a red, hot, swollen foot with fever, or, after surgery, calf pain and swelling with shortness of breath or chest pain. Call 911 in an emergency.